12
Principles of The Screenplay Writer
by Daniel Martin
Eckhart
1. Write daily. (You need a strong writing
muscle to succeed - so exercise it.)
2. Enjoy procrastination. (Procrastination is
life - never feel guilty about it.)
3. Trust your instincts. (Learn from others but
never depend on them.)
4. Believe in yourself. (If you don't, no one
ever will.)
5. Suck it up. (Learn from rejection - it'll
make you stronger.)
6. Know your world. (Make movie history, films
and scripts part of your essence.)
7. Network. (You'll never have a career if you
don't get out there.)
8. Love what you do. (If writing doesn't make
you happy, stop.)
9. Be generous. (Spread your ideas, don't hide
them.)
10. Be a craftsman/woman. (It may become art in
time.)
11. Deliver on time. (Never miss a deadline, not
even one you gave yourself.)
12. Collaborate. (You'll never make a film
happen on your own.)
The Ten Commandments of
Screenplaywriting
by Robert McKee
1. Thou shalt not take the crisis/climax out of the
protagonist's hands. The anti-deus ex machina commandment.
2. Thou shalt not make life easy for the protagonist. Nothing progresses in a story except through conflict.
3. Thou shalt not give exposition for exposition's sake. Dramatize it. Convert exposition to ammunition.
4. Thou shalt not use false mystery or cheap surprise.
5. Thou shalt respect your audience. The anti-hack commandment.
6. Thou shalt know your world as God knows this one. The pro-research commandment.
7. Thou shalt not complicate when complexity is better. Don't multiply the complications on one level. Use all three: Intra-personal, Inter-personal, Extra-personal.
8. Thou shalt seek the end of the line, taking characters to the farthest reaches and depth of conflict imaginable within the story's own realm of probability.
9. Thou shalt not write on the nose. Put a subtext under every text.
10. Thou shalt rewrite.
2. Thou shalt not make life easy for the protagonist. Nothing progresses in a story except through conflict.
3. Thou shalt not give exposition for exposition's sake. Dramatize it. Convert exposition to ammunition.
4. Thou shalt not use false mystery or cheap surprise.
5. Thou shalt respect your audience. The anti-hack commandment.
6. Thou shalt know your world as God knows this one. The pro-research commandment.
7. Thou shalt not complicate when complexity is better. Don't multiply the complications on one level. Use all three: Intra-personal, Inter-personal, Extra-personal.
8. Thou shalt seek the end of the line, taking characters to the farthest reaches and depth of conflict imaginable within the story's own realm of probability.
9. Thou shalt not write on the nose. Put a subtext under every text.
10. Thou shalt rewrite.
Margaret Atwood's advice to aspiring writers:
“I think the main thing is:
Just do it. Plunge in!
Being Canadian, I go
swimming in icy cold lakes, and there is always that dithering moment.
“Am I really going to do this? Won’t it hurt?”
And at some point you just have to flop in there and scream.
“Am I really going to do this? Won’t it hurt?”
And at some point you just have to flop in there and scream.
Once you’re in, keep going.
You may have to crumple and toss, but we all do that.
Courage!
You may have to crumple and toss, but we all do that.
Courage!
I think that
is what’s most required.”
― published in The Huffington Post, Dec 2014
